The full slate has yet to be unveiled, but the lineup for the 2007 edition of the New Orleans Film Festival is already looking intriguing.

The New Orleans Film Society, which organizes the festival, recently announced that actor/director Alan Cumming ("X2," "Spy Kids") is expected to make an appearance in support of his new horror-comedy, "Suffering Man's Charity." The festival also will present the New Orleans debut of the acclaimed "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," a biography of the paralyzed editor of French Elle; as well as a new version of "Lady Chatterly."

Also, the New Orleans-centric doc "Tootie's Last Suit," about Mardi Gras Indian chief Tootie Montana and the Indian culture, will also be screened, says director Lisa Katzman.

The 18th annual New Orleans Film Festival will be Oct. 11 to 18, with screenings at various locations around the city including Canal Place Cinema, the Contemporary Arts Center and the Prytania Theater.

For more, visit www.neworleansfilmfest.com.

From the blog

Not everybody, it seems, can get over the implausibilities in the new Kevin Bacon thriller "Death Sentence," about a grieving father bent on revenge against the gang that wronged him. Take the companions of online reader "housewatcher," who thought the film "was just awful."

Housewatcher was a little more circumspect, though, commenting, "The movie worked for me and evoked thoughts about stereotypes, class, race, order and chaos, isolation, the meaning of family, what I might be capable of in extraordinary circumstances, and the failure of the criminal justice system to protect us and mete out justice.

"For anyone who has lived in New Orleans since Katrina, those are all timely issues."

To read housewatcher's comments in their entirety, or to weigh in with your own -- as well as to read other movie reviews and film-related features -- check out blog.nola.com/mikescott.

Buried Treasure

In the never-ending quest for gems hidden in the weekly TV listings, here's what I'll be watching this week:

Why: His impressive slate of movies aside, Jewison is a fantastic storyteller. And following the interview, TCM will air three of his best flicks: "The Cincinnati Kid," which was set and filmed in New Orleans; "Moonstruck"; and "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming."

. . . . . . .

Movie writer Mike Scott be reached at (504) 826-3444 or mscott@timespicayune.com. To comment on this story or read other reviews, go to blog.nola.com/mikescott.